New Delhi, Oct. 15 -- The state of global democracy is showing initial signs of stabilisation. According to the latest Global State of Democracy report, following eight consecutive years of decline, the democratic recession has plateaued-with nearly 75 per cent of countries either improving or maintaining their democratic standing. Yet beneath this surface stability lies profound volatility.
From "Gen Z" uprisings demanding government accountability across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa to the global rise of ethnic nationalism, populism, and civil conflict, modern governance faces unprecedented strain. As philosopher Jurgen Habermas observed, these crises often stem from the "political neglect and exclusion by regimes purporting to be democratic." To counter this erosion, revitalising deliberative democracy is urgent to ensure depth, inclusion, and accountability across every sphere of public life.
Improving the Quality of Democracy
At the heart of any true democracy lies the quality of its parliamentary deliberation. The health of a republic depends on how effectively elected representatives articulate the needs, aspirations, and grievances of their constituents.
India stands out as both the world's largest democracy and one of its most resilient. Historically, many Western democratic experiments proved far more fragile: Germany's Weimar Republic and France's Fourth Republic crumbled in short order, while full democratic suffrage in the UK was achieved only in 1928. Spain, Portugal, and Greece developed full democratic frameworks much later in the 20th century. India's democratic longevity remains a remarkable testament to its institutional foundations.
A Grand Tradition of Public Reasoning
Democracy in India is not a foreign import; it is rooted in a rich historical tradition. Ancient India was home to several Gana-Sanghas (republics), and even within monarchical systems, public consultation was highly valued. Kautilya's ancient treatise, the Arthashastra, explicitly advised: "When there is an extraordinary matter, the Ministers and the Council of Ministers should be called together" to deliberate and resolve crisis situations.
In modern India-a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-religious nation-Parliament serves as the ultimate national assembly. While elections grant Parliament democratic legitimacy, robust floor debates allow MPs to pool diverse perspectives, challenge policy, and reflect a diverse population.
The Rise of Disruptions and Tactical Stallings
Despite this rich legacy, the quality of Indian parliamentary debate has suffered a steep decline. Recurrent disruptions, forced adjournments, and opposition walkouts have increasingly crippled normal legislative business.
* Lost Time and Public Money: Frequent disruptions rob MPs of Question Hour-the primary tool for executive accountability-and limit opportunities to raise pressing public concerns. In a recent monsoon session, over 7,000 minutes of parliamentary time were lost. With the Lok Sabha costing approximately '2.5 lakh per minute to operate, this translates to an estimated loss of '175 crore to the public exchequer.
* The Shift Away from Committees: Scrutiny via Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs) has dropped precipitously-falling from 60-70 per cent of bills referred during the 14th and 15th Lok Sabhas to just 16-25 per cent in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas.
* Diminished Productivity: During a recent monsoon session, the Lok Sabha functioned for only 15 per cent of its scheduled time (17.5 hours), while the Rajya Sabha operated at 33 per cent (37.4 hours), making it one of the least productive sessions in a decade. Crucially, despite these truncated hours, 12 major bills were passed with virtually no floor debate.
Ironically, while disruption is used as a protest tactic, its primary beneficiary is not the Opposition-it is the Executive. When parliamentary debates stall, the executive branch bypasses scrutiny and passes legislation without opposition pushback, concentrating power in ways fundamentally at odds with a parliamentary system.
The Erosion of Financial and Legislative Scrutiny
This decline in deliberative quality is starkly evident in budget discussions. In 1990, parliamentary budget debates lasted over 123 hours. By contrast, recent budget discussions wrapped up in a mere 12 hours-with over 75 per cent of budget demands passed without debate and barely 11 per cent of government expenditure receiving meaningful examination. Furthermore, many critical bills are now routinely rushed through the House after less than an hour of discussion.
To put this in perspective, the UK House of Commons sits for approximately 150 days a year, while the US Congress convenes for nearly 260 days. In India, parliamentary sittings have steadily shrunk in duration, leaving far less room for comprehensive lawmaking.
The Way Forward
To restore Parliament to its full deliberative potential, India can draw both from international best practices and its own advisory commission reports:
* Institutionalise Opposition Business Days: In the UK Parliament, specific days are reserved exclusively for opposition parties to set the debate agenda. Adopting a similar mechanism in India would reduce floor disruptions by guaranteeing the Opposition a dedicated platform to raise key national issues.
* Mandatory Committee Referrals: In systems like the UK, major legislation is routinely referred to Select Committees for detailed clause-by-clause scrutiny and stakeholder consultation. Mandating committee scrutiny for all major bills would ensure legislation is thoroughly vetted before becoming law.
* Fix a Minimum Calendar of Sittings: Key domestic bodies-including the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2002) and a 2008 Rajya Sabha Committee-have recommended mandating a calendar with a minimum of 100 sitting days per year.
* Strengthen Committee Powers: As recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (2018), parliamentary committees must be empowered and given structural weight to enforce executive accountability.
Reclaiming deliberative democracy in Parliament is not merely a matter of parliamentary procedure; it is essential to upholding the constitutional spirit of the Indian Republic.
Views expressed are personal. JF Raj is the VC, PK Datta is an Adjunct Professor at St Xavier's University, Kolkata
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.